“Instead of plunging headfirst to their death in a pot of boiling water, 534 live lobsters escaped the dinner plate and belly flopped to freedom into the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean,” reports the Buddhist Channel.

The liberation of the crustaceons was in celebration of Wheel Turning Day, which celebrates the first sermon made by Buddha. The Buddhist Chanell reports:

A group of Tibetan Buddhists flanked the sides of a whale-watching boat at dusk on Wednesday, sprayed the lobsters with blessed water, clipped the bands binding their dangerous claws and released them one by one into the deep water below.

The 30 Buddhists of all ages trekked to this northern Massachusetts fishing hub to buy 600 pounds of lobster from a seafood wholesaler and save the critters from imminent death.

Buddhists teach that on Wheel Turning Day on the Tibetan lunar calendar, the merit for positive actions is multiplied many times.